Vagabond: A Maritime Journey Around the World

Chapter 06 - Two Weeks - Passage 03 2600mn

1st day

Sail early from the Yacht Club Christmas. This time, the anchor came gradual and quiet, no problem. The day had just come, but the yellow disc was already bright: it burned. We said goodbye to some Uruguayan friends who still knew how to cross from Europe to Brazil. Told me – the eldest – who caught 04 storms; lost all instruments and sailed for 04 days without water and food. His southern countenances, enriched with overdosages of adventures and trials, were a great omen for the beginning of the journey.

However, just at the exit of the Potengi River bar, the scenario changed. The forecast promised a friendly weather, but the winds of 40 km/h and the waves of 3 meters contradicted the meteorological information. We left the canal with difficulty: there was a traffic of ships, tugs and billets. The Vagabond did very well. As the day passed, the sea calmed down; the sun intensified its emissions and the sea in response reflected a glorious blue. The winds collaborated and blew in our favor. atipicamente, they pushed us in the direction of the intended course.

This first day was filled with events, beginning with the beginning of the journey. Until we got out of the areas of ship traffic we saw some 4 or 5 of these monsters of the sea; they passed a few miles, sometimes to port, others to the edge, however, without any chance of collision. After going through this stretch of ships we start to see an abundant fauna. Big dolphins crossed our route and followed us for a while – they always do that, it looks like starfighters around the mothership. We caught a 1 kg tuna. Then we had to stop fishing for the rest of the trip. The line was hooking on the wind generator. I prepared a ceviche, but it did not yield much: the goldfish, after being treated, did not even give for the afternoon snack.

In the evening, I witnessed an unpleasant fact. A seagull crashed into the propellers of the generator: I heard the sound of the slaughtered animal falling into the water. He was not as lucky as the other of the first crossing. And that has not been all. As I was about to pass the shift I heard a strange noise, a dry knock on the deck. A flying fish jumped in the dark and went into the boat. He was one of the great ones. He was dying for a quick death when he was saved by this narrator. With some risk I caught the little fish by the tail and returned it to its habitat. I spent the shift to Preu with a point of pride in the chest. I slept for over three hours.

2nd day

A day without events. The sea was calm and the winds too. We had to support the sailing with the force of the engine in several moments. We take the opportunity to organize the boat, bathe and eat decently. On busy days we do almost nothing inside the Vagabond. On this day, I saw the retraction and the awnings serve as a perch for seabirds. There were 3 or 4 extra passengers: they rested from a day's work. The wind blew a little stronger during the night: we smoothed the sail (we shortened the sail area) and still sailed at a good speed.

3rd day

Today I saw a whale. We passed away from the animal, but the spray that it dropped from time to time made me imagine its size. I traveled alone. I was wondering if I would go to the Caribbean too. We prepared a sun meat and gave a banquet at the time of the state of Piauí. We are 200 km from the coast, but this distance should triple in the coming days. Our weather is great: we made almost ¼ of the trip in 3 days.

4th day

The day began with much activity. A heavy rain cheered the crew. We bathed, washed the boat, some clothes, the dishes, and everything that needed freshwater. A general bath. It was the beginning of an endless series of rains. Later we caught our first storm: we inaugurated the vests and once again we reduced the cloths. We crossed the Equator line without special celebrations: there was still much to navigate.